A carrying apparatus used in a clean room or the like moves a moving unit such as an elevator in a state in which said moving unit is extruded from a slit. Of course, in such a clean room, it is important to prevent dust from being generated, and it is necessary to seal the slit to prevent the dust generated inside the carrying apparatus from leaking from the slit. With respect to this point, it is known that a pair of bellows can be provided on both sides of the moving unit, and said bellows can be expanded and contracted by movement of the moving unit so as to seal the slit. However, there is a problem in that the size of the carrying apparatus is increased to provide a storage space for the bellows, and dust is generated due to abrasion of the bellows. Furthermore, there is another problem in that the durability of the bellows is reduced by repeated expansion and contraction, resulting in an increased maintenance frequency of the carrying apparatus.
It is an object of the present invention to use a driving belt of a moving unit for a sealing member of a slit, thereby eliminating the need for an exclusive sealing member and miniaturizing the carrying apparatus.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a specific mechanism when the moving unit is employed as an elevator.
It is yet another object of the present invention to make use of a position detecting belt of the moving unit as the sealing member of the slit, thereby eliminating the need for an exclusive sealing member and miniaturizing the carrying apparatus.